Academic and Career Opportunities

To support your youth’s academic and career pathway, please explore the resources below which are broken out by academic-specific resources and career resources that include an academic element. Know of additional resources not listed below? Please let your Case Supervisor know!

Academic-Specific programs

San Francisco County

  • 826 Valencia: 826 Valencia provides programs to support the writing skills and academics of children ages 6-18. They have a location in the Mission and in the Bayview, and their programs range from writing workshops to college and career prep support to after school tutoring support.

  • Imani Center for Education and Wellness (San Francisco County); provides free tutoring to youth and adults in reading, math, and computer literacy. The Center will match the learner with a caring volunteer who employs a methodology tailored to fit individual learning needs. Click here to view their flyer and for more information. 

  • Power Scholars Academy at the YMCA is a six-week summer program for 1st through 8th graders designed to address summer learning loss in math and reading and to foster physical and social-emotional growth.

alameda County

  • SOAR is a free, week-long sleep-away summer camp at UC Berkeley specifically for middle school-aged foster youth. The program includes math and writing workshops, outdoor activities like kayaking and ropes courses, life skills trainings, and socializing. Once selected, students return each summer for three consecutive years.

  • Chapter510 and the Department of Make Believe is Oakland's only youth writing center. They provide free in-school tutoring, creative writing workshops, and publishing opportunities for K-12 students in Oakland.

Academic & employment programs

San Francisco County

  • Bay Area Video Coalition’s Bridges Fellowship offers a 12 week media production and career readiness training fellowship to young adults (ages 18-24). Bridge Fellows will receive career readiness, communication, and technical skills in video pre-production, production, and post-production. They will also gain work experience through a 35-hour client project and earn a stipend and certificate at the end of the program.

  • Bay Area Video Coalition’s Next Gen offers a free after school program to provide youth (ages 14-17) with the opportunity to learn game code design, music production, video production, and animation. Youth will attend field trips to industry partner companies and career development workshops (resume writing, job search tools, etc.)

  • BEETS (Band of Environmentally Educated and Employable Teens) is a paid summer internship program at Community Grows. BEETS interns help maintain urban gardens and develop skills for youth empowerment, healthy eating, food justice literacy, and job readiness.

  • Bridges from School to Work supports young adults with a documented disability (ages 17-22) find the employers and jobs that best fit their skills and abilities. Bridges also provides 1:1 support to ensure that employees develop the work skills needed to keep jobs and start building a career path.

  • City Youth Now’s Higher Education and Vocational Expenses Scholarship: City Youth Now accepts applications from foster and juvenile justice-involved youth who intend to enroll in higher education or vocational training programs. Recipients receive $1,000 to $3,000 scholarships to help pay for related expenses. You can find the application, instructions, and eligibility information here.

  • City Youth Now’s Youth Partnering for Education and Employment: The Youth Partnering for Education and Employment (YPEE) program combines educational and vocational support to prepare San Francisco youth in foster care and the juvenile justice system for employment. Types of support through YPEE include tutoring expenses, interview practice and clothing, resume development, college tours and application support, vocational school workshops, etc. They also provide a paid internship for youth ages 14+.

  • The Guardian Scholars program is a 6-week summer program designed to prepare SFUSD foster youth students for a smooth transition from high school to college and career. The program provides high school and/or CCSF (City College of San Francisco) credit, an internship working with kids, a stipend of up to $2,000, and college and career resources. Current or former foster youth who are SFUSD rising juniors, seniors or entering college freshmen are eligible to attend. Applications are due in April. Please contact your case supervisor to learn more.

  • Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) sponsors a High School Internship Program to introduce high school students (grades 10-12) to career opportunities in the field of transportation. Interns may support city and county public works departments or transit agencies.

  • New Door Ventures: New Door Ventures provides a 14-week employment program for youth ages 16-24. During the program, participants are set up with a paid internship and also receive case management support, skills building training, and education support.

  • Old Skool Café is a youth run-supper club that provides at-risk youth (ages 16-22) the opportunity to run all aspects of the restaurant. Through this program, youth will learn the skills they need not only to run a business, but also to be successful in all aspects of their lives.

  • Opportunities for All Initiative, led by Mayor London Breed’s office, is a workforce development effort designed to increase the number of opportunities for young people between the ages of 13 and 24 to access meaningful employment, training, and work-based learning opportunities. Participants are set up with paid internships over the summer that allow them to explore careers, connect with resources, and gain social and professional skills.

  • RAMS’ Youth 2 Youth Peer Certificate Program: RAMS' Youth 2 Youth Peer Certificate Program is a 16-week peer certificate program for youth aged 16-24 that equips participants with basic counseling skills for entry-level employment in the behavioral health field. Twice a week, participants attend workshops and field trips to sites that introduces them to mental health settings that serve TAY, and become exposed to a variety of mental health topics. Upon completion, graduates be placed in paid internships within the San Francisco TAY System of Care. Please check out the flyer to learn more.

  • Rising Sun’s Climate Careers program is a 7-week paid summer employment and training program that allows youth to directly serve their communities and environment. Climate Careers provides youth (ages 15-22) with the opportunity to build their resume and professional skill-set through work-based learning as Energy Specialists. Please check out their website for more information.

  • San Francisco Conservation Corps & John Muir Charter School: John Muir Charter School gives young people ages 16 to 25 the opportunity to earn a high school diploma while working with SF Conservation Corps doing exciting and valuable work for the community. View their flyer for more information. If you want to learn about programs outside of San Francisco similar to John Muir, contact SFCASA's Educational Advocacy Coordinator.

  • San Francisco ILSP: SFILSP provides career development support to 16-21 year old youth in San Francisco foster care, which includes vocational training, apprenticeship opportunities, and job placement support.

  • San Francisco Youth Jobs+: SF Youth Jobs+ is a city-wide program to help young adults (ages 16-24) find employment. This initiative is a partnership between the City of San Francisco and various businesses and nonprofits. SF Youth Jobs+ offers a Summer Internship Program and partners with organizations like Starbucks, Ghirardelli, Levi's, etc. who hosts hiring events throughout San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. Please check out their website for more information.

  • WorkAbility: A program of JVS (Jewish Vocational Services), WorkAbility is a year-long paid internship program for SFUSD students in the 11th and 12th grades who have IEPs. Interns get paid $15 an hour and the program runs from June 12th through August 9th. Applications are accepted by applying at the JVS office in April. Please look at the flyer to learn more.

Alameda County

  • Alameda County Youth Leadership Academy is a free, educational program that enables high school youth (11-12th graders) to learn about local government while completing a career development and job readiness program alongside their peers.

  • Youth Employment Partnership: YEP offers job readiness training and education as well as summer employment to at-risk youth and young adults in Oakland. These programs integrate leadership development, comprehensive support services, educational programming, and college enrollment with on-the-job vocational training.

San Mateo County

  • JobTrain: JobTrain’s Youth Programs provides job training to 17-24 year old youth . This program includes basic skills support, academic support (including support to receive a high school diploma or GED and assistance with higher education), career training, paid work experience, and job placement assistance.  

  • San Mateo County Youth Commission: SMCYC is an advisory commission to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and was established to provide youth voice in local government. The Commission consists of 25 members, between the ages of 13-21.